§ 250.273 Sundry notices and reports on wells.

(a) Notices of the lessee's intention to change plans, make changes in major drilling equipment, deepen, sidetrack, or plug back a well, or engage in similar activities and subsequent reports pertaining to such operations shall be submitted to the District Supervisor on Form MMS-331, Sundry Notices and Reports on Wells. Prior to commencing operations associated with the change, written approval must be received from the District Supervisor unless oral approval is obtained pursuant to § 250.6(a) of this part.

(b) The Form MMS-331 submittal shall contain a detailed statement of the proposed work that will materially change from the work described in the approved APD. Information submitted shall include the present state of the well, including the production liner and last string of casing, the well depth and production zone, and the well's capability to produce. Within 30 days after completion of the work, a subsequent detailed report of all the work done and the results obtained shall be submitted.

(c) Public information copies of Form MMS-331 shall be submitted in accordance with § 250.17 of this part.

§ 250.274 Well records.

(a) Complete and accurate records for each well and all well operations shall be retained for a period of 2 years at the lessee's field office nearest the OCS facility or at another location conveniently available to the District Supervisor. The records shall contain a description of any significant malfunction or problem; all the formations penetrated; the content and character of sulphur in each formation if cored and analyzed; the kind, weight, size, grade, and setting depth of casing; all well logs and surveys run in the wellbore; and all other information required by the District Supervisor in the interests of resource evaluation, prevention of waste, conservation of natural resources, protection of correlative rights, safety of operations, and environmental protection.

(b) When drilling operations are suspended or temporarily prohibited under the provisions of § 250.10 of this part, the lessee shall, within 30 days after termination of the suspension or temporary prohibition or within 30 days after the completion of any activities related to the suspension or prohibition, transmit to the District Supervisor duplicate copies of the records of all activities related to and conducted during the suspension or temporary prohibition on, or attached to, MMS-330, Well Report, or Form MMS-331, Sundry Notices and Reports on Wells, as appropriate.

Form (Re)Completion

(c) Upon request by the Regional or District Supervisor, the lessee shall furnish the following:

(1) Copies of the records of any of the well operations specified in paragraph (a) of this section;

(2) Copies of the driller's report at a frequency as determined by the District Supervisor. Items to be reported include spud dates, casing setting depths, cement quantities, casing characteristics, mud weights, lost returns, and any unusual activities; and

(3) Legible, exact copies of reports on cementing, acidizing, analyses of cores, testing, or other similar services.

(d) As soon as available, the lessee shall transmit copies of logs and charts developed by well-logging operations, directional-well surveys, and core analyses. Composite logs of multiple runs and directional-well surveys shall be transmitted to the District Supervisor in duplicate as soon as available but not later than 30 days after completion of such operations for each well.

(e) If the District Supervisor determines that circumstances warrant, the lessee shall submit any other reports and records of operations in the manner and form prescribed by the District Supervisor.

§ 250.280 Well-completion and well-workover requirements.

(a) Lessees shall conduct well-completion and well-workover operations in sulphur wells, bleedwells, and brine wells in accordance with §§ 250.280 through 250.286 of this part and other

provisions of this part as appropriate (see §§ 250.71 and 250.91 of this part for the definition of well-completion and well-workover operations).

(b) Well-completion and well-workover operations shall be conducted in a manner to protect against harm or damage to life (including fish and other aquatic life), property, natural resources of the OCS including any mineral deposits (in areas leased and not leased), the national security or defense, or the marine, coastal, or human environment.

§ 250.281 Crew instructions.

Prior to engaging in well-completion or well-workover operations, crew members shall be instructed in the safety requirements of the operations to be performed, possible hazards to be encountered, and general safety considerations to protect personnel, equipment, and the environment. Date and time of safety meetings shall be recorded and available for MMS review.

§ 250.282 Approvals and reporting of wellcompletion and well-workover operations.

(a) No well-completion or well-workover operation shall begin until the lessee receives written approval from the District Supervisor. Approval for such operations shall be requested on Form MMS-331. Approvals by the District Supervisor shall be based upon a determination that the operations will be conducted in a manner to protect against harm or damage to life, property, natural resources of the OCS, including any mineral deposits, the national security or defense, or marine, coastal, or human environment.

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(b) The following information shall be submitted with Form MMS-331 (or with Form MMS-331C):

(1) A brief description of the wellcompletion or well-workover procedures to be followed;

(2) When changes in existing subsurface equipment are proposed, a schematic drawing showing the well equipment; and

(3) Where the well is in zones known to contain H2S or zones where the presence of H2S is unknown, a descrip

tion of the safety precautions to be implemented.

(c) (1) Within 30 days after completion, Form MMS-330, including a schematic of the tubing and the results of any well tests, shall be submitted to the District Supervisor.

(2) Within 30 days after completing the well-workover operation, except routine operations, Form MMS-331 shall be submitted to the District Supervisor and shall include the results of any well tests and a new schematic of the well if any subsurface equipment has been changed.

§ 250.283 Well-control fluids, equipment, and operations.

(a) Well-control fluids, equipment, and operations shall be designed, utilized, maintained, and/or tested as necessary to control the well in foreseeable conditions and circumstances, including subfreezing conditions. The well shall be continuously monitored during well-completion and well-workover operations and shall not be left unattended at any time unless the well is shut in and secured;

(b) The following well-control fluid equipment shall be installed, maintained, and utilized:

(1) A fill-up line above the uppermost BOP,

(2) A well-control fluid-volume measuring device for determining fluid volumes when filling the hole on trips, and

(3) A recording mud-pit-level indicator to determine mud-pit-volume gains and losses. This indicator shall include both a visual and an audible warning device.

(c) When coming out of the hole with drill pipe or a workover string, the annulus shall be filled with wellcontrol fluid before the change in fluid level decreases the hydrostatic pressure 75 psi or every five stands of drill pipe or workover string, whichever gives a lower decrease in hydrostatic pressure. The number of stands of drill pipe or workover string and drill collars that may be pulled prior to filling the hole and the equivalent wellcontrol fluid volume shall be calculated and posted near the operator's station. A mechanical, volumetric, or elec

tronic device for measuring the amount of well-control fluid required to fill the hole shall be utilized.

§ 250.284 Blowout prevention equipment.

(a) The BOP system and system components and related well-control equipment shall be designed, used, maintained, and tested in a manner necessary to assure well control in foreseeable conditions and circum

stances, including subfreezing conditions. The working pressure of the BOP system and system components shall equal or exceed the expected surface pressure to which they may be subjected.

(b) The minimum BOP stack for well-completion operations or for wellworkover operations with the tree removed shall consist of the following:

(1) Three remote-controlled, hydraulically operated preventers including at least one equipped with pipe rams, one with blind rams, and one annular type.

(2) When a tapered string is used, the minimum BOP stack shall consist of either of the following:

(i) An annular preventer, one set of variable bore rams capable of sealing around both sizes in the string, and one set of blind rams; or

(ii) An annular preventer, one set of pipe rams capable of sealing around the larger size string, a preventer equipped with blind-shear rams, and a crossover sub to the larger size pipe that shall be readily available on the rig floor.

(c) The BOP systems for well-completion operations, or for well-workover operations with the tree removed, shall be equipped with the following:

(1) An accumulator system that provides sufficient capacity to supply 1.5 times the volume necessary to close and hold closed all BOP equipment units with a minimum pressure of 200 psi above the precharge pressure without assistance from a charging system. After February 14, 1992, accumulator regulators supplied by rig air which do not have a secondary source of pneumatic supply shall be equipped with manual overrides or alternately other devices provided to ensure capability

of hydraulic operations if rig air is lost;

(2) An automatic backup to the accumulator system supplied by a power source independent from the power source to the primary accumulator system and possessing sufficient capacity to close all BOP's and hold them closed;

(3) Locking devices for the pipe-ram preventers;

(4) At least one remote BOP-control station and one BOP-control station on the rig floor; and

(5) A choke line and a kill line each equipped with two full-opening valves and a choke manifold. One of the choke-line valves and one of the killline valves shall be remotely controlled except that a check valve may be installed on the kill line in lieu of the remotely-controlled valve provided that two readily accessible manual valves are in place, and the check valve is placed between the manual valve and the pump.

(d) The minimum BOP-stack components for well-workover operations with the tree in place and performed through the wellhead inside of the sulphur line using small diameter jointed pipe (usually 4 inch to 14 inch) as a work string; i.e., small-tubing operations, shall consist of the following:

(1) For air line changes, the well shall be killed prior to beginning operations. The procedures for killing the well shall be included in the description of well-workover procedures in accordance with § 250.282 of this part. Under these circumstances, no BOP equipment is required.

(2) For other work inside of the sulphur line, a tubing stripper or annular preventer shall be installed prior to beginning work.

(e) An essentially full-opening, workstring safety valve shall be maintained on the rig floor at all times during well-completion operations. A wrench to fit the work-string safety valve shall be readily available. Proper connections shall be readily available for inserting a safety valve in the work string.

§ 250.285 Blowout preventer system testing, records, and drills.

(a) Prior to conducting high-pressure tests, all BOP systems shall be tested to a pressure of 200 to 300 psi. (b) Ram-type BOP's and the choke manifold shall be pressure tested with water to a rated working pressure or as otherwise approved by the District Supervisor. Annular type BOP's shall be pressure tested with water to 70 percent of rated working pressure or as otherwise approved by the District Supervisor.

(c) In conjunction with the weekly pressure test of BOP systems required in paragraph (d) of this section, the choke manifold valves, upper and lower kelly cocks, and drill-string safety valves shall be pressure tested to pipe-ram test pressures. Safety valves with proper casing connections shall be actuated prior to running casing.

(d) BOP system shall be pressure tested as follows:

(1) When installed;

(2) Before drilling out each string of casing or before continuing operations in cases where cement is not drilled out;

(3) At least once each week, but not exceeding 7 days between pressure tests, alternating between control stations. If either control system is not functional, further drilling operations shall be suspended until that system becomes operable. A period of more than 7 days between BOP tests is allowed when there is a stuck drill pipe or there are pressure control operations, and remedial efforts are being performed, provided that the pressure tests are conducted as soon as possible and before normal operations resume. The time, date, and reason for postponing pressure testing shall be entered into the driller's report. Pressure testing shall be performed at intervals to allow each drilling crew to operate the equipment. The weekly pressure test is not required for blind and blindshear rams;

(4) Blind and blind-shear rams shall be actuated at least once every 7 days. Closing pressure on the blind and blind-shear rams greater than necessary to indicate proper operation of the rams is not required;

(5) Variable bore-pipe rams shall be pressure tested against all sizes of pipe in use, excluding drill collars and bottomhole tools; and

(6) Following the disconnection or repair of any well-pressure containment seal in the wellhead/BOP stack assembly, the pressure tests may be limited to the affected component.

(e) All personnel engaged in wellcompletion operations shall participate in a weekly BOP drill to familiarize crew members with appropriate safety measures.

(f) The lessee shall record pressure conditions during BOP tests on pressure charts, unless otherwise approved by the District Supervisor. The test duration for each BOP component tested shall be sufficient to demonstrate that the component is effectively holding pressure. The charts shall be certified as correct by the operator's representative at the facility.

(g) The time, date, and results of all pressure tests, actuations, inspections, and crew drills of the BOP system and system components shall be recorded in the operations log. The BOP tests shall be documented in accordance with the following:

(1) The documentation shall indicate the sequential order of BOP and auxiliary equipment testing and the pressure and duration of each test. As an alternate, the documentation in the operations log may reference a BOP test plan that contains the required information and is retained on file at the facility.

(2) The control station used during the test shall be identified in the operations log.

(3) Any problems or irregularities observed during BOP and auxiliary equipment testing and any actions taken to remedy such problems or irregularities shall be noted in the operations log.

(4) Documentation required to be entered in the driller's report may instead be referenced in the driller's report. All records, including pressure charts, driller's report, and referenced documents, pertaining to BOP tests, actuations, and inspections shall be available for MMS review at the facility for the duration of the drilling activity. Following completion of the

drilling activity, all drilling records shall be retained for a period of 2 years at the facility, at the lessee's field office nearest the OCS facility, or at another location conveniently available to the District Supervisor.

§ 250.286 Tubing and wellhead equipment. (a) No tubing string shall be placed into service or continue to be used unless such tubing string has the necessary strength and pressure integrity and is otherwise suitable for its intended use.

(b) Wellhead, tree, and related equipment shall be designed, installed, tested, used, and maintained so as to achieve and maintain pressure control.

§ 250.290 Production requirements.

(a) The lessee shall conduct sulphur production operations in compliance with the approved Development and Production Plan requirements of §§ 250.290 through 250.297 of this subpart and requirements of this part, as appropriate.

(b) Production safety equipment shall be designed, installed, used, maintained, and tested in a manner to assure the safety of operations and protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments.

§ 250.291 Design, installation, and operation of production systems.

(a) General. All production facilities shall be designed, installed, and maintained in a manner that provides for efficiency and safety of operations and protection of the environment.

(b) Approval of design and installation features for sulphur production facilities. Prior to installation, the lessee shall submit a sulphur production system application, in duplicate, to the District Supervisor for approval. The application shall include information relative to the proposed design and installation features. Information concerning approved design and installation features shall be maintained by the lessee at the lessee's offshore field office nearest the OCS facility or at another location conveniently available to the District Supervisor. All approvals are subject to field verification. The application shall include the following:

(1) A schematic flow diagram showing size, capacity, design, working pressure of separators, storage tanks, compressor pumps, metering devices, and other sulphur-handling vessels;

(2) A schematic piping diagram showing the size and maximum allowable working pressures as determined in accordance with API RP 14E, Recommended Practice for Design and Installation of Offshore Production Platform Piping Systems;

(3) Electrical system information including a plan of each platform deck, outlining all hazardous areas classified in accordance with API RP 500B, Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Drilling Rigs and Production Facilities on Land and on Marine Fixed and Mobile Platforms, and outlining areas in which potential ignition sources are to be installed;

(4) Certification that the design for the mechanical and electrical systems to be installed were approved by registered professional engineers. After these systems are installed, the lessee shall submit a statement to the District Supervisor certifying that the new installations conform to the approved designs of this subpart.

(c) Hydrocarbon handling vessels associated with fuel gas system. Hydrocarbon handling vessels associated with the fuel gas system shall be protected with a basic and ancillary surface safety system designed, analyzed, installed, tested, and maintained in operating condition in accordance with the provisions of API Recommended Practice for Analysis, Design, Installation and Testing of Basic Surface Safety Systems for Offshore Production Platforms (API RP 14C). If processing components are to be utilized, other than those for which Safety Analysis Checklists are included in API RP 14C, the analysis technique and documentation specified therein shall be utilized to determine the effects and requirements of these components upon the safety system.

(d) Approval of safety-systems design and installation features for fuel gas system. Prior to installation, the lessee shall submit a fuel gas safety system application, in duplicate, to the District Supervisor for approval. The ap